Twitter erupts over Pearson, Meares gold

Twitter erupts over Pearson, Meares gold - Yahoo New Zealand

Wind the clock back a day and Twitter was being flooded with complaints about Australia's Olympic silver streak.

But by Wednesday morning it was awash with gold and glory for hurdler Sally Pearson and cyclist Anna Meares, after their nail-biting victories in London overnight.

Australia first woke to news that Meares had beaten arch-rival Victoria Pendleton of Great Britain to claim track cycling women's sprint gold medal.

While the 28-year-old is yet to break a self-imposed social media ban, she became a trending topic on Twitter as thousands of her compatriots sent messages of congratulations.

"OMG @AnnaMeares is a LEGEND ... CONGRATULATIONS girl!! Loved being apart of that Aussie Gold in the stands" posted swimmer Stephanie Rice, who was among dozens of athletes who watched both Meares' and Pearson's wins from the grandstand.

Sally Pearson's inspirational photo finish in the women's 100m hurdles final quickly took over as one of the top trends in Australia, with praise coming from every direction - from Lara Bingle to Prime Minister Julia Gillard.